Hazem Ramadan is currently an Associate Professor of Zoonotic Diseases in the Hygiene and Zoonoses Department, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Egypt. Between 2017 and 2022, Dr Ramadan worked as a postdoc researcher at the U.S. National Poultry Research Center, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA-ARS), Athens, Georgia, USA. Dr Ramadan obtained his Master's degree (2009) and Ph.D. (2013) in Zoonotic and Infectious Diseases from Mansoura University. In 2017, he secured a fund from the Science and Technology Development Fund (STDF) for a 1-year research project in collaboration with the Bacterial Epidemiology and Antimicrobial Resistance (BEAR) Research Unit, USDA, Georgia, USA. Dr. Ramadan’s research focuses on the genomic surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and virulence determinants in pathogenic bacteria and how these determinants disseminate between animals and humans, with relevance to the One Health approach. He has authored more than 52 international publications with relevance to his research area of interest. He has also performed peer reviews for 38 international journals. In April 2022, he received the State Incentive Award from the Academy of Scientific Research and Technology.
Melissa Morgan is now an Associate Professor at the Department of Animal and Food Sciences, University of Kentucky. She received a Ph.D. from the University of Kentucky in 1990. She was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the National Center For Toxicological Research (FDA) (1990-1992). Then, she worked at the Q Laboratories Inc. for six years (1992-1998). Her research interests include the evaluation of the microbial safety of food products as related to thermal processing and storage conditions; the development of production, processing and handling strategies for effectively minimizing pathogenic microbial contamination; investigation of the presence of potential foodborne pathogens during animal production; investigation of strategies to reduce the level of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in livestock; and in determining the effectiveness of naturally occurring volatile compounds to control the growth of pathogenic bacteria on fruit.
Yosra Helmy is an assistant professor at the Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky. Her research focuses on developing novel therapeutics and antibiotic-alternative approaches, including probiotics, anti-virulence, and quorum sensing inhibitors, small molecules, and peptides to mitigate infectious pathogens and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in animals and humans. Our research is also focused on understanding host-pathogen interactions and elucidating the impact of novel therapeutics on the host gut microbiome using molecular and omics-based approaches. She also studies epidemiology, antibiotic resistance profiles, genetic diversity, and risk assessment of AMR of foodborne pathogens (Campylobacter, Salmonella, E. coli O157, and Listeria monocytogens) using molecular tools and genomics for the detection of AMR determinants to combat the increasing threat of AMR.
